1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a process and an apparatus for transmitting alarm messages in emergency situations from apparatuses which, when in need, have no access to public telecommunications networks.
2. Present State of the Art
Sending alarms through telecommunications systems in order to signal emergency situations is a service that many national and international bodies hold in great consideration and to which they dedicate many resources, so much so that in 1990 a single European emergency call number (112) was defined for emergency calls.
As cellular telephony becomes more and more widespread, some initiatives have been taken for defining emergency call systems which, in the event of a road accident, allow the rescuers to be rapidly alerted. Regulations pertaining to contents and formats for data transmission have been defined, such as, for example, those relating to the geographic coordinates of the apparatus from which the call originates.
Modes of automatic emergency call generation by terminals equipped with suitable sensors have also been defined. Regulations about these matters have been defined at European level, for example, within the scope of the “eSafety Forum” platform for the so-called “ECalls” (Emergency Calls).
The emergency calls defined by the above-mentioned regulations may be generated in places where a fixed telephone line or cellular network coverage is available. Emergencies may however also happen in various places (closed premises, elevators, basements, ravines, mountainous areas, etc.), where fixed telephones or cellular network coverage are not always available. Therefore, although the percentage of people that bring with them a cellular telephone tends to reach 100% anywhere, the current telecommunications systems do not always allow signalling an emergency situation by means of a telephone call or message.
It is nonetheless important to take into account that within the range of a mobile telephone without cellular coverage there may be other apparatuses capable of receiving and transmitting messages. Many types of mobile apparatuses, in fact, use various reception/transmission systems, among which a few, such as Wi-Fi Direct, DECT, ZigBee and Bluetooth, allow establishing direct connections between two apparatuses without needing support from telecommunications networks. Many of the apparatuses equipped with such radio systems can also establish connections with public telecommunications networks, whether through said radio systems or through other systems, and therefore such apparatuses can be used as a bridge between an apparatus in emergency conditions and a public telecommunications network. In some regions of the world, terminals are available which are equipped with GSM, WCDMA, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. In other regions, GSM is replaced by PHS or AMPS, and Wi-Fi may be replaced by DECT.